A Hollywood-based public company that specializes in patented dispensing machine is hoping that Colorado and Washington residents will one day be able to legally purchase their recreational marijuana from vending machines.

“One day we envision these machines to be accessed, when it’s allowed, 24 hours a day,” Vincent Mehdizadeh, the founder and chief consultant of a subsidiary of Medbox that produces, installs and consults on the vending business, told NBC News. “One day in the future that may happen, but for now these machines sit behind the counter as an inventory control and compliance tool.”

Such vending machines are already in use in some states where medical marijuana is legal. They require a fingerprint scan to verify the identification of the patient, which is then linked to a prescription on file, the article notes.

Medbox is now offering its expertise to Colorado and Washington officials who are working to establish the framework for a legal marijuana industry and to collect taxes on pot sales.

“These machines behind the counter act an inventory control and taxation tracking tool so that the states can effectively track the taxes and collect on them more efficiently with real-time reporting directly from the machine to the state database,” Mehdizadeh added.